The Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta returns for another year over Labor Day weekend at Wheeling’s Heritage Port. (File Photo)

WHEELING — Dozens of boats will roar on the Ohio River over Labor Day weekend during the 17th Annual Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta.

The vintage vehicles and their drivers, coming from far and wide to Friendly City, will arrive in town for registration on Friday and hit the water on Saturday morning at Heritage Port.

After last year’s lineup of 57 boats, the largest in the event’s history, Regatta Co-Director Debbie Joseph noted organizers have “scaled back” registration this year to 51 boats.

Joseph added the event should be smoother sailing compared to last year, as boats can enter the city on Friday on the newly paved Main Street.

“We are very pleased to see that Main Street has been paved and the Streetscape Project on Main Street is largely finished,” Joseph added. “We’re excited to welcome everybody that brought their boat through Main Street last year, which was very difficult, to see how all the improvements have been made and how great the city looks.”

After the opening ceremonies at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, boats will begin to run. The first 100 people through the event gate will receive a free autograph poster for drivers to sign.

According to Joseph, boats will race for a couple of hours following the opening ceremony before a lunch break around noon. During the break, attendees are invited to get a closer look at the boats in the pits.

During the break, Joseph noted that a fan-favorite activity for children was peeking behind the regatta curtain and sitting in the boats.

“Welcoming families, parents and kids and letting them see what we really do is always one of my favorite parts of the regatta,” Joseph said.

Jeff “Nemo” Buckley, Chairman of the American Power Boat Association’s Vintage and Historic Division, looks forward to teaching attendees about the sport as a regatta participant.

“We love sharing our sport and its history with the kids and, frankly, all ages,” Buckley said. “We try to give the very curious youngsters the opportunity to get up into the seat and look across the deck of the boat, and we’ll even crank up the boat with them in it. It’s all about sharing the history of our sport.”

With more than 50 boats coming to this year’s regatta, spectators will see many different types of watercraft race across the Ohio River. Buckley noted that “every boat and every driver” who would hit the water would have their own unique story and history. He added that racers love to share the story of their vehicle with not only spectators but also other participants.

“The beauty of this sport is the histories relayed to the boats, the owners and the families that brought them into existence,” Buckley said. “If we don’t carry that history forward, it will be lost to future generations.

Every boat’s history includes how it was built, where it raced and the restoration process required to get the vintage vehicle back onto the water. For Buckley, who is considering taking a Grand Prix boat to the regatta that has not hit the water in 12 years, the restoration process includes spending the week before the race repairing the boat to get it in race shape.

“The Grand Prix is a boat many people don’t even know exists,” Buckley said. “My Grand Prix has basically been in a barn for the past 12 years, so if we get it running, we’re going to surprise everybody with it. It’s a lofty goal, but I think we can do it.”

Buckley said what makes the regatta a must-attend event for vintage race boat enthusiasts is the wide array of unique boats that hit the water and the event’s longstanding history.

“The Wheeling regatta is known across the country as being the nicest and largest event in the country,” Buckley added. “It has such a high reputation that we consider it one of the meccas of history and vintage boat racing.”

In addition to sharing their own stories regarding the history of their boats, the racing community will have another opportunity to celebrate vintage boat racing at the Wheeling screening of Dave Kappel’s new documentary, “Vintage Hydroplanes: People, Place, and Time.”

The documentary traces 50 years of inboard hydroplane racing in the Ohio Valley, focusing on the sport’s rise and fall within New Martinsville. It will be screened on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. at the Towngate Theatre.

Buckley, who saw the documentary at its July 12 premiere in New Martinsville, said he looked forward to seeing the film again.

“There was so much wonderful history in that documentary that it’s hard not to walk away and say, ‘Man, that was wonderful,'” Buckley said. “The documentary also touches on what makes the Ohio River a great place for racing because of the water clarity and conditions. I know firsthand that if the winds are blowing in the right direction, you better pay attention because you’ll pick up more speed than expected.”

Joseph thanked the sponsors who will help make the event run smoothly, including Merco Marine Boat Docks, which provides and maintains the event’s docks, and Bellaire Harbor Services, which stores the docks over the winter season. Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration sponsors the event’s dive rescue team.

Other major event sponsors are Savage Construction, the Ohio County Commission, the City of Wheeling and Wheeling Volkswagen-Subaru.